Teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to call the Mets about the possibility of a trade involving Brett Baty or Mark Vientos, per multiple reports, but the asking price is high.
When it comes to Baty, understandably so. The Mets have significant plans for the 26-year-old, even if they brought Bo Bichette in to take the starting third-base job away from him.
President of baseball operations David Stearns made it known that Baty is going to play “a bunch of different positions” in 2026, including third base when Bichette needs a day off, second base when Marcus Semien needs a breather, first base as left-handed insurance behind Jorge Polanco and Vientos, and left field.
It is that spot in left field that might be Baty’s most important role. Stearns has made it known that top prospect Carson Benge will have every opportunity to win the starting job out of camp, but if he is not ready, the Mets are out of options other than backup center-fielder Tyrone Taylor, who is more than capable defensively of playing there, but leaves much to be desired offensively.
There is a significant belief radiating from the Mets that Baty is finally beginning to put it all together offensively after a strong finish in 2025. Over his final 74 games, he slashed .289/.352/.462 (.814 OPS) with 10 home runs and 26 RBI.
An offer would have to knock the Mets’ proverbial socks off to seriously consider trading Baty, which might not have been the case earlier this offseason. But Stearns did well last month to plug the significant holes created by an alarming start to the winter.
He finally addressed the starting rotation by acquiring Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers in January, where he will serve as New York’s ace. Polanco was surprisingly brought in to replace Pete Alonso, who Stearns allowed to walk to the Baltimore Orioles in free agency.
He acquired Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox in hopes of finally finding a solution in center field, which allows Benge or Baty to fill the void left when Brandon Nimmo was traded to the Texas Rangers for Semien.
